Sunflower Tea

Even though summer has faded into autumn in many parts of the U.S., it still looks and feels like summer in my part of the country.  So yesterday I prepared for Tea Tuesday on my back patio, where I enjoyed a glass of homemade, freshly squeezed lemonade in a to-go cup I got recently when my friend Sally and I had lunch at this restaurant.   Although I added ice to the lemonade, it didn't take long for it to melt.

So what, you ask, do sunflowers have to do with this post (other than the obvious sunflower placemat and napkin)?

It's because my late (autumn) blooming sunflowers have finally bloomed.  In fact, many bloomed last week, but it was too windy and overcast to get a photo.  Can you see the bee sitting in the center flower? I realize my camera SUCKS, and I have to use the lowest resolution possible when I save my photos, but

maybe if I back up a bit, you can see both a bee (on the bottom center flower) and a butterfly (on the flower directly above it) that are attracted to this cluster of flowers.  And they aren't the only ones, because I counted six bees and at least that many butterflies on various other flowers that I didn't photograph.  Of course, bees scare me because I was bitten by one a couple of years ago and really swelled up.  I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to them, although I would NEVER hurt a bee, intentionally or otherwise.

As I began putting these in my vase, I realized I should explain these are not your typical sunflowers.  The sunflowers I'm most familiar with (and Kansas's state flower) are singe stemmed and have large heads, just like on the placemat and napkin.  These have multiple flowers on a single stem, as you can see from the ones I have not yet cut for the vase.

It was now time to drink my lemonade, which was starting to look quite cloudy.  Then it was off to my craft room where I pressed these flowers so I can use them in my art this winter.  Have a super Tea Tuesday everyone.  Feel free to join in any Tuesday.